Lifting apparatus



April 3, 1962 Filed March 30, 1959 Figure D. B. CHESKIN LIFTING APPARATUS .S19/oaks Bracket Rod Supporf/'ng 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Figure 2 /N VEN TOR: Dov/d B. Chas/rin A TTORNEY April 3, 1962 Filed March 50, 1959 Figure 5 D. B. CHESKIN LIF'TING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Shea?I 2 /Frame A F igure 4 40 /N VE/V TOR: Dav/'d B. Chas/rin y@ folffw April 3, 1962 D. B. cHEsKlN LIFTING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 30, 1959 A e m n f /V VE/V TOR.- Dav/'d B. Chas/rin A TTO/PNEY United States Patent O 3,028,143 LIFTING APPARATUS David B. Cheskin, 407 S. Dearborn, Chicago, Ill. Filed Mar. 30, 1959, Ser. No. 802,870 2 Claims. (Cl. 254-105) are usually not adapted to lift heavy loads to any great height as, for example, for several floors.

Briefly, the present improved lifting apparatus embodies in combination a rod supporting bracket having means for removably clamping it to a column, means holding at least one pair of vertically suspended notchedrods from the supporting bracket in an opposing symmetrical arrangement with respect to the column, a first frame having an open central portion and adapted to symmetrically straddle the column, movable pawls attached to this iirst frame and positioned to engage with the notched-rods and prevent downward movement of the frame, a second frame having an open central portion and adapted to symmetrically straddle said column, with this second frame having at least one suspended lifting rod for attachment to a load, movable pawls attached to this second frame and positioned to engage with said notched-rods and prevent the downward movement of the frame, at least one pair of jacking means positioned between said first and second frames and operable to periodically lift or move the second frame with respect to the first frame while the latter remains temporarily engaged with the suspended notched-rods.

It is a feature of the present invention to provide means for clamping the support for the notched-rods to a column at any position or height. 'Ihe clamping means may be made adaptable to hold on the side of any standard type of building column, whether it be a pipe column a structural I-beam type, or of reinforced concrete, or even of composite type. Thus, it is not necessary to position or construct columns of a strength which will support loads beyond the normal strength required. In addition, the strength of the column can be reduced in the upper sections if so desired.

The lifting apparatus may be used for various lifting jobs as, for example, adjusting the height of a movable platform or for use with the lifting of ships in a dry-dock. Still another advantageous use the apparatus may have is in connection with a building construction system which lifts whole lloor or roof assemblies. In this method of building, one or more reinforced concrete oors or other constructions and assemblies are poured and formed, orv

framed and assembled, at the ground level and are subsequently lifted into place around their spaced vertically positioned supporting columns. The system is economical in that it eliminates a lot of the expensive form-work and bracing, as well as expensive labor, which is necessary in reinforced concrete construction at the various floor levels, or in other constructions in the raising of individual prices, as against the whole. In other words, all floor slabs or other assemblies can be poured and/ or constructed at the ground level with the use of only a minimum amount of form work and equipment and with reduced labor costs. By way of example, in a reinforced concrete construction, all of the building columns are set in place on their foundations prior to the lifting of any floor slabs such that after the pouring of the plurality of floor slabs is effected, they may be lifted in a horizontal fashion by suitable jacking means, upwardly and around the various columns to the required heights or levels. Each floor slab is left at its desired vertical level and is attached to the columns by means of suitable collars, brackets, and the like which connect with the slabs and with the columns by means of bolting, welding or other attachment means.

It may also be deemed desirable to use shear-heads of structural sections which are connected integrally with the floor slab and to effect attachment of such shearheads to the vertical columns by welding or other attachment means. The shear-heads are constructed and arranged to closely encompass the various vertical columns and slide around them as the oor slabs are lifted into place and then effect the transfer of loads to the columns from the floor slabs.

The present improved apparatus is also of particular advantage in the vertical setting of heavy loads, such as iloor slabs and the like, in that the apparatus is provided with incremental or accurate adjustment means permitting fine or close vertical adjustment to any level regardless of the height to which it is brought by means of the vertically suspended notched-rods. This incremental adjustment means also provides means for removing pressure from the hydraulic or mechanically operating jacking means.

The construction and arrangement, as well as use, of the present improved lifting apparatus will be more apparent upon reference to the accompanying drawings and the following description thereof.

FIGURE 1 of the drawing is an elevational view of the lifting apparatus shown attached to a vertical column and in use lifting a load.

lFIGURE 2 of the drawing is a side elevational view of the lifting apparatus as indicated byI the line 2 2 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 of the drawing is a partial elevational view of one corner of the lifting apparatus indicating a modified means for lifting one frame with respect to the other by automatic incremental elevational setting means.

FIGURE 4 of the drawing is a partial sectional plan view of a gear-driven means for effecting the vertical incremental adjustment of the lifting apparatus, as indicated byline 4 4 in FIGURE 3 of the drawing.

FIGURE 5 shows, in a partial elevational view, a combination of the gear driven incremental adjustment means with the jacking and lifting arrangement of the type shown in FIGURE l of the drawing.

Referring now to FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawing, it will be seen that there is a vertical column 1 suitably supported from a suitable base or foundation 2. The present column is indicated as a pipe column; however, as previously noted, the column may well be constructed of concrete or of other structural members such as an H-beam or I-beam section or of built-up structural composite sections. Along the side of column 1 is a bracket 31 which is preferably constructed to removably clamp to the column 1 and have end sections 3 which are adapted to clamp to and hold vertically suspended notched-rods 4. Pins or bolts 43, or the like, may be provided on the columns to be placed below the bracket and help support it from the column. In some columns it may be desirable to construct notches along the side thereof to accommodate the bracket means. In the present embodiment of the end sections 3, there are shown removable bolts through blocks 5 which effect the clamping of rods 4; however, other equivalent clamping or blocking means may be utilized to effect the clamping and holding of the suspended notched-rods 4. 'Ihe latter are also indicated in the present embodiment as having a multiplicity of tapered V-like sections which form offsets and the notched construction to the rods. It is not intended, however, to limit the invention or the construction to any one type of rod inasmuch as the rod sections may have a round cross-section with offsets or notches being formed by a plurality of frusto-conical sections. Also, the rod may be square rather than rectangular or, alternatively, may be constructed of cable with suitable attached washers or key pieces which provide offsets or ledges, or the like, equivalent to notches.

The notched-rods 4 are placed symmetrically with respect to the column 1 and are adapted to hold the upper and lower frames A and B which, in turn, comprise a portion of the lifting apparatus. The upper frame A is indicated as being constructed of pairs of spaced channels 6 which, inturn, lstraddle the column 1 and are spaced and held in position'laterally by means of additional pairs of channels indicated as 7 and upper `and lower plates 8 and 9. The upper pairs of spacing and connecting channels 7 are, in turn, utilized to support lifting rods 10. In'the present embodiment, four lifting rods 10 are utilized and are spaced symmetrically about column 1 and through frames A and B to suspend downwardly and holdwhatever desired load may be attached for lifting. The present drawingl shows a plurality of slab-like sections 111 being held in place and lifted by the rods, 1l). Suitable nuts and washers are placed at the end of lifting rods 10 to effect the holding of the top end of the bar and rods 1f) and to clamp under the slabs 11. In a preferred form of the apparatus, the rods 10 can be relativelyshort, so 4that the load is just below the lower frame Vof the apparatus. In the lifting of floor slabs,

having the apparatus 'down low or close to the load is very` advantageous, where the rods have some length between frame'B and the load then they shall be sufficiently stiff so as to provide strut action whereby they, in turn, can effect compression against the upper frame A and a resulting stabilization thereof. By strut action is meant an unsupported length which is not too great with respect to the moment of inertia or radius of gyration of the member, so as to have a slenderness ratio of sufficient stiffness to preclude it being easily bent or buckled.

Between the channels of each pair of channels 6, where the latter straddle the notched-rods 4, there are provided movable and slidable pawls 12 which are adapted to engage'with and fit onto the top of each offset or notch of the rods 4. Various types of movable pins or pawls may be utilized to effect the desired engagement with the notched-rod members and it is not intended to limit the construction of the apparatus to any one type of pawl or movable key. The present construction indicates slots 13 in the pawls 12 which, in turn, are adapted to slide laterally on pins 14 extending through the channels 6. Suitable guide bars 15 provide supports and rests for the pawls 12 whereby they may move horizontally in and out of the notches as they bear against the V-like sections of the notched-rods. ASprings 16 are provided to abut against the outer ends of the pawls 12 to maintain the latter in constant contact with the notchedrods during movement of the frame A.

The lower frame B is constructed somewhat similarly to frame A having pairs of spaced channel members 17 straddling lthe column 1 and suitable cross channels 18 which connect and space the former channels 17 to, in turn, provide a rigid box-like frame. Plates 19 are also utilized across the channels 17 to provide framing means as well as base-plates for jacks 20. In the present embodiment, four jacks 20 are positioned between plates 19 on the lower frame B and plates S on the upper frame A, symmetrically with respect to column 1 aswell as the frames, such that one frame may be moved with respect to the other. The invention is not limited to the use of four jacks however, since any number may be utilized.

Movable keys or pawls 2.1, similar -to those in connection with frame A, are provided between each of the pairs of channels 17 of the lower frame B. Each pawl has a slot 22 adapted to move laterally on pins 23 which extend through channels 17; also, guide members 24 and springs 25 provide for insuring Contact between the pawls and the vertical notched-rods 4 as movement is effected along the height of the notched-rods. There is also provided between frames A and B, at the substantial `corners thereof, suitable rods or bolts 26 each having a spring 27 which bears against the ends of channel 6 of the upper frame A. The bolts vand springs provide guide and stabilizing means between the two frames as well as means for maintaining tension between the upper and lower frames.

In operation as a lifting apparatus, with lower frame B haying pawls 21 engaged with notches of rods 4, the operationl of jack means 20 will effect the raising of frame A with respect to frame B and the upward movement of the frame A around the column 1 and the notched-rods 4. The pawls 12 of the upper frame A `lift upwardly and away from the notch sliding vertically upwardly along the rods until they come to rest over thevtop of a nextV higher notch on rod 4. As the pawls 12 on frame A come to rest over a next higher notch, the jacking operation can be stopped and the jacks them- Y selves retracted such that therel is thus effected a raising of the lower frame B, with frame A remaining stationary,

' as the pawls 21 ofthe lower frame slide upwardly along a notch on each of the rods 4 until they pass overa next higher notch, at which time the retraction of the operation` of the jacks is ceased and the frame B is permitted to again bear its load on rods 4. In this manner, the lifting apparatus is incrementally moved upwardly `along the notched-rods 4 effecting the constant periodic lifting of the slabs or loads V11 by virtue of the incremental upward movement of lifting rods 10 that are suspended from the upper frame A 'of the apparatus.

Referring now to FIGURE 3 of the drawing, there is shown a modified or optional construction of a' portion of the lifting apparatus, which construction provides means for effecting, other than by jacks, incremental movement of one frame with respect to the other. Preferably, manual or hydraulic jacks are still provided between the upper and lower frames, which, in the present FIGURE, are indicated as upper frame A' and lower frame B; however, in addition-there are provided threaded rods or bolts 30, one being at each corner of frames A and B', substantially in the position of the bolts 26 shown in FIGURES l and 2 of the drawing. Each rod or bolt 30 has operating in connection therewith a large threaded adjustment nut 31 adapted to ride up and down thereon and bear against the underside of frame A on plate 41. At each position, the'threaded rod 30 is xedly attached to the lower frame B and is not adapted to turn. Each extends upwardlythrough frame A and has, at the top of the latter, a spring 32 which bears against the top of frame A' `and is held in place by ya suitable washer 33 and nut 134. Thus, by eecting the turning of threaded adjustment nut 31 on threaded rod 30 at each of the corners of the frames, there can be effected either an upward or a downward movement of frame A with respect to frame B', depending, of course, upon which way the nuts 3 1 are turned. There may thus be affected minute incremental adjustment means between the upper and lower frames without depending upon the stoppage of the movement of the jack means at any'particular elevation. In a preferable construction and operation, automatic motorized means are provided for affecting the turning of the large nuts 31 and the resulting incremental vertical adjustments. As may be seen in connection with FGURE 4 of the drawing, as well as FIGURE 3, there may be provided a pulley or gear supporting vmember 35, which extends from the lower end of each threaded rod 30, and an upward shaft or pin 36 adapted to hold a sprocket gear 37 and a spur gear 42. In this construction and arrangement, the nut 31 is provided with a plurality of teeth around the periphery which, in turn, t with `and engage with lthe plurality of teeth on the spur gear 42. A chain belt 38 is provided to encompass the lifting apparatus extending around sprocket gears 37 at each corner thereof to, in turn, provide a driving means for each sprocket gear 37 and, in turn, effect the movement of spur gears 42 and the threaded nuts 311. A suitably placed driving means, such as a shaft and sprocket gear 39, from a reversible motor 49, shown in FIGURE 4, can affect the movement of Ithe chain-drive belt 38. Suitable electrical switching means (not shown) may, of course, connect With the reversible motor 40 to affect the movement and direction of the motor so that at any desired time there may be affected the desired upward or downward movement of the frame A with respect to frame B.

Referring now to FIGURE of the drawing, there is shown frames A and B with a threaded rod 30 and a threaded nut 31 therebetween, in the arrangement of FIGURES 3 and 4, together with jacking means 20', sliding pawls 12 and 21', lifting rods 10', a notched rod 4', and a column 1', etc., in accordance with the construction and arrangement of FIGURE 1. Thus, FIG- URE 5 shows, for purposes of clarity, the lifting apparatus arrangement of FIGURE 1 in combination wtih the gear-driven incremental movement and adjustment means of FIGURES 3 and 4. A suitable motor supporting bracket 44 may be extended from one of the exterior horizontal cross channels 18 to hold an electric motor, such as the reversible motor 40 shown in FIG- URE 4, to effect the driving of chain 38, spur gear 42 and the nut 31.

I-t is, however, not intended to limit the present invention to any one special means for effecting a minute adjustment or incremental movement of one frame with respect to the other, for other leverage means, such as laterally moving wedges, or other geared mechanism may be utilized in lieu of the threaded rod, gear and chain-belt drive which is shown in the present drawings.

In connection with any modification of the present lifting apparatus, there is no limit to the height of the columns lto which the apparatus may be attached inasmuch as each column may be installed and guyed in position for its full height, or a column may be merely erected to height sufficient to accommodate the apparatus for a portion of the construction work and then additional sections of the columns added to existing sections thereof as the need arises for replacing and reclamping the apparatus to the columns at higher levels.

I claim as my invention:

l. Apparatus for lifting heavy loads, which comprises in combination, a substantially vertical column, a movable rod supporting bracket having means for being removably clamped to said column, means holding at least one pair of detachable vertically suspended notchedrods from said supporting bracket in an opposing symmetrical arrangement with respect to said column, a lower frame having an open central portion and adapted to symmetrically straddie said column, movable pawls attached to said lower frame and positioned to engage with said notched-rods and prevent downward movement of said frame, an upper frame spaced above said lower frame having an open central portion adapted to symmetrically straddle said column, said upper frame having at least one suspended lifting rod for attachment to a load, movable pawls attached to said upper frame positioned to engage with said notched-rods and prevent downward movement of said frame, at least one pair of jack means positioned between said lower and upper frames operable to periodically lift the upper frame with respect to the lower frame while the latter remains temporarily engaged with said suspended notched-rods, a plurality of symmetrically spaced threaded rods attached to and extending vertically upwardly from said lower frame through said upper frame, threaded adjustment nuts on each of said threaded rods between said frames adaptable to travel up and down said threaded rods, bearing plate means on the underside of said upper frame at the Zone of each of said threaded rods providing a bearing surface for the upper ends of each of the threaded adjustment nuts whereby the turning of s-aid adjustment nuts provides for the incremental raising and lowering of said upper frame with respect to said lower frame.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further characterized in that a sprocket gear and shaft supporting means therefore is provided alongside of each of said threaded rods attached to said lower frame and a sprocket gear is mounetd on each of said shafts, said adjustment nuts on said threaded rods have external peripheral teeth adapted to mesh with the teeth of said sprocket gears, and chain drive means passing around and encompassing each of said sprocket gears provide means for turning the latter and said adjustment nuts' responsive to driving means connecting with said chain drive.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 919,559 Dul Apr. 27, 1909 1,063,156 Cohen et al. May 27, 1913 2,540,679 Laffaille Feb. 6, 1951 2,686,420 Youtz Aug. 17, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 761,118 Great Britain Nov. 7, 1956 

